Louisiana is two million dollars short on its funding for voucher students this year. The money is appropriated every June, and covers the cost of state students to attend charter and private schools, instead of public schools. Department of Education spokesperson Sydni Dunn says the state is short this year, and if more money isn’t appropriated next year, could be short by an even wider margin.
Dunn says, "The state may be facing up to seven million dollars next year that would be needed to pay for students trying to land aid."
Dunn says if the legislature doesn’t come up with another two-million dollars to fill the shortfall for this academic year, schools that are educating voucher students would be on the hook to pay for their educational expenses.
According to Dunn, "Schools may not be able to be fully reimbursed by the state for students' tuition and other expenses."
The state’s voucher program is paid for by a special line-item appropriation in the budget. It currently enrolls 6,600 students statewide. Dunn says it’s possible money that funds public schools may have to be redirected to cover some of the costs of the voucher program for next school year.